Deleted Scenes
by PrudenceKimberly
Summary: These are a bunch of chapters that did not make it into My Little Princess and All I Need. I had wrote them while I wrote the stories, but did not find a place for them so here they are. Hope you all enjoy.
1. Chapter 1-All I Need

Regina leaned back against the back of the sofa, her hand still clutching the plate while the other softly stroked Stella's hair. She was grateful that the girl was still sitting in her lap as she ate, for she was not sure she could part with her just yet. Her eyes was watching every move Stella made; she watched her mouth moving as it chewed before swallowing; she watched her small fingers fidgeting with the hem of her nightgown; she watched her eyes look around the room, a small smile tugging at her lips at the awe she saw in them. Her eyes wandered off to the gash on her temple, the blood was gone now and she had the chance to observe it more closely. It wasn't that deep thankfully, but she knew that it would probably leave a scar. She couldn't take her eyes off her daughter, her little girl, her baby. She didn't know whether it was the fear or the longing, or maybe a mixture of both, but she both couldn't, and didn't want to look elsewhere. She was terrified that when she looks back, this will all turn out to be nothing more than just a dream. Not to mention that she still hadn't had enough of her, she hadn't seen her child in five years, and now she was back in her arms, and she was not going to let her slip again, and she wasn't going to look away from the sight anytime soon.

Once the last bit of food was in Stella's mouth, she put the plate next to her on the sofa and reached for the towel that she was using to dry her hair and gently wiped the crumbs from her lips. Warmth shot from her hand and straight to her aching heart when Stella placed both small hands onto her own, images of small, chubby fists closing around her index flashing before her eyes.

"Do you want more?" she asked softly, and the girl shook her head as she swallowed.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, smiling softly when Stella nodded, before her eyebrows furrowed at the look Stella had in her eyes.

"What is it sweetheart?" she inquired gently, as she turned the girl in her lap so they were now facing each other.

Stella averted her gaze, and looked intently at her fidgeting fingers, "can you show me where the kitchen is?" her voice was barely a tad over a whisper, and the hint of fear and trepidation was not lost on Regina.

"Of course I can, I will show you all around the castle in the morning, but you are exhausted now and it is nighttime, you need to get some rest" Regina assured her gently, her confusion deepening when Stella sighed, almost as if there was a reason behind her question that Regina did not understand.

"Stella, why do you want to know where the kitchen is?" she decided to ask.

She wasn't sure what she said that made the fidgeting worsen, and her confusion deepened even further when Stella seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Sweetheart, you can tell me anything, and you can ask me for anything" she pressed, her voice firm yet soft and loving.

"I wanted to know where it was so I can wash the plate" she murmured carefully, and Regina's heart sank. She tried to deny the meaning behind her words, and deiced to hold on to whatever shred of hope that her five year old was not the one responsible for washing dirty plates.

"Honey, you don't have to do that. Johanna will take it down and Mrs. Kingsley will wash it in the morning" she informed.

"But I was the one who used it, it is only fair that I wash it" she argued, and Regina was finding very difficult not to sob at the prospect of a slaved life that her daughter seemed to lead. But before she could get another word out, Stella's eyes looked at something behind Regina's back, just as Johanna cleared her throat loudly to inform them of her presence.

"How as the food?" she asked gently, a warm smile plastered on her lips.

"It was great, thank you" Stella complimented, and Johanna nodded affirmingly at her, "I am very glad to hear that" she said, before she looked at Regina, a more serious expression now taking over her features, "the physician is here, your majesty" she declared.

"Let him in" Regina stated, and Johanna bowed before she headed for the door.

Stella had no idea what physician meant, and her curiosity made her follow Johanna as she walked to the door, and stretched out her neck in an effort to peer through the door and see who she was talking to. She heard the distinct voices of men, and that made her entire body go rigid. Regina was expecting her to tense up when she sees the older man, but nothing prepared her for Stella's reaction once the physician fully entered the room and made his way towards them.

The blood drained from her face, her eyes became the size of the sun, and she was sure she had never seen so much fear and panic in anybody's eyes before, let alone those of a child.

She cowered away into her arms, buried her face into her neck and shoulder, and clamped her arms around her neck, "Mamma please don't give me to him" she sobbed pleadingly.

Regina immediately enveloped the small frame with her own arms, and pressed her mouth into her hair, "baby, I will never give you to anyone. I am right here and I will not let anyone hurt you" she murmured.

"Your majesty, may I examine her?" the physician inquired, as he bowed. His words seemed to trigger a hysterical reaction from the terrified five year old.

"NO" she screamed, her legs scramming away from him, and knocking down the empty plate in the process, which landed onto the floor with a loud crashing noise. Her arms had gone chokingly tight around Regina's neck, and her entire body was now shaking like a leaf as she sobbed in her mother's arms.

"Shhhhhh, baby, it's okay" Regina soothed, "he is here because I asked him to see if those bruises on your body are serious" she explained gently.

"They don't hurt" Stella pointed out frantically, "I don't want him to hurt me" she hiccupped.

"Baby, no one is going to hurt you, I won't let them, I promise" she vowed, as she rested her cheek against the damp cheek of her terrified five year old, effectively burying the child's face in her neck, her arms now wrapped tightly around the girl's body with one hand stroking her hair soothingly, though it seemed to be in vain seeing as how the hysterical and terrified sobbing did not quiet down, on the contrary, it seemed to get worse once the physician started his examination.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably just one, he stood up straight once more and stepped back from the worried mother, and frantic child, signaling that he now had all that he needed. Once he let go of her legs, Stella immediately balled up against her mother's body, and Regina wordlessly covered her with a blanket in an effort to calm her a little.

"Thank you very much for coming on such short notice" Regina said gratefully, "but could you please speak with the King, and he will let me know of it all"

"Your majesty" he said, bowing graciously before he took his leave, without even waiting for Johanna to show him out.

"Your majesty, why don't you move to the bed so I can clear the broken glass?" Johanna suggested softly.

"I'm sorry" Stella sobbed.

"Shhhhhh, you have nothing to be sorry for" Regina soothed, "it's just a plate" she added, as she got off the sofa and headed for the bed. She pulled the covers back, and placed the pillows against the headboard, before climbing into it with the now quivering Stella in her arms, and pulled the covers back up around them both.

She spent nearly an hour trying to calm down the hysterical child, and was grateful when no one interrupted them again. Johanna cleared the broken glass, and took her leave silently, and she smiled at her thoughtfulness when she heard her tell the guard not to let anyone disturb them. She had finally managed to calm Stella down, she was still curled up in her arms, with her head resting right under her chin and her small fists tightly clutching her dress, but she was neither sobbing nor quivering any longer, just the occasional sniffle.

"Mamma?" she called weakly.

"Yes baby."

"Is he going to tell Daddy where I am?" she inquired.

"Is who going to tell him?"

"The man who was here."

"No, baby. No one will tell him that you are here, he won't be able to find you and he will not take you back" she assured her firmly, a small and sad smile tugging at her lips when the girl sighed in relief.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?" she suggested, looking down at her in time to see her eyes fall shut, and it didn't take long before her breathing deepened.

She knew that she fell asleep easily because of how tiring the day was, and how much she had been crying and that on any other day, she won't sleep so easily, and she knew that she won't sleep peacefully. She had no idea what her baby went through, but if her freak outs were any indication, it was not something that you get over easily.


	2. Chapter 2-All I Need

Regina Mills was not a happy woman that night; or more like a very conflicted one. On one hand, she finally had her baby back after five years of disappointments and dead ends; but on the other, her heart was breaking piece by piece at the life her five year old child led.

The first inkling she had was the sight of the bruises on her thighs, and then the hysterical recounting of how she got them. And if she thought that this was bad, she sure was proven wrong when she pulled the ragged gown off the tiny body and started washing away the dirt. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull at the numerous bruises and barely healed gashes on her back and stomach, and her heart wrenched every time Stella winced or hissed from the contact with them. Regina tried to be as gentle as possible with her, but some of them were still pretty recent, and therefore, quite sore to the touch, let alone getting rubbed with a sponge drenched with soap and water, no matter how gentle it was.

A small whimper left her mouth, her small features immediately taken over by fear when Regina tried to wash away the dried up blood on her forehead. The gash looked fresh, and couldn't be more than a few hours old, judging by how the skin was still soft around it. She soothed her, the hand that was previously helping support her weight on the edge of the basin, now reached for the small fidgeting hands, and held onto them, in a silent gesture of comfort. She was glad when Stella immediately grabbed onto it, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips when she felt how she relaxed.

Once all the blood was gone from the gash, and she was able to take a closer look at it, her confusion deepened. It didn't seem to be made by a tree branch, for it had almost perfect edges.

"Stella, how did you get this gash on your head?" she asked softly, her eyes studying the terrified pair that were looking at her searchingly.

She saw how she swallowed hard, how tight her grasp on her hand had gotten, and after a long moment of silence, she finally averted her gaze before she sighed, "I broke a plate this morning, and when Daddy took me to my room, he pushed me hard inside and I tripped and hit my head against the foot of the bed" she recounted, though her voice was barely audible but it was loud enough for Regina to nearly faint.

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, her heart jumping slightly with joy when she felt Stella lean into it, "you're safe now, baby" she whispered, as she rested her forehead against her temple.

And now she was lying in bed, one arm trapped under Stella while her other hand stroked her hair as the latter slept. Leopold had fell asleep the second his head touched the pillow, and she couldn't blame him. It was almost, if not past, midnight by the time the Physician left, and they finally had a second to breathe.

She was still in her clothes, since she hadn't really had a chance to change in the midst of everything that happened, and she was suddenly very glad that she opted to wear one of her simpler outfits instead of an elaborate gown, for those damned things were not very comfortable, and it was starting to look like she was going to sleep like this. She had tried to pry her arm away from Stella so she can get up and change, only for her entire body to stiffen and a string of whimpering protests to leave her sleeping form, making Regina reconsider her actions and immediately soothe her instead.

And as exhausted as she was, there were a few reasons why she couldn't sleep. One of which was the very uncomfortable corset that was hugging her figure, the dress may have been simple but she still had to wear the wretched thing. She craned her neck behind her and strained her eyes to locate the gown she had been wearing that morning, and found it still hanging on the hook right next to the privacy screen. She looked back at her sleeping daughter and husband, all she had to do was get the gown and change. She didn't need to go behind the screen, Leopold was fast asleep so there was no chance he will see her, and this way if Stella even looks like she's going to wake up, she can lull her back to sleep.

And so, with that plan in mind, she wrapped the arm that was previously stroking Stella's hair around her sleeping form, leaned closer to the girl, and murmured kisses into her hair as she pulled her other arm from under her head. Stella stirred a bit, rolled over to the other side, before she settled again, completely freeing Regina's arm in the process. She carefully slid from under the covers, careful not to trip over her discarded shoes from earlier, and tip toed to where the gown hang. She slowly lifted it off the hook, and quickly made her way towards the bed, her eyes not leaving the small, curled form beneath the covers for one second.

Once she finally made it back to the bed, she threw the gown on it, and made quick work of pulling her gown over her head, before her fingers pulled at the lace holding the corset around her body. Her sighs of relief kept getting deeper and more exhilarating as the lace slid from each hoop, and with the last hoop, she nearly groaned in pleasure once she felt her body released from it. She relished in the feel of the cool winter breeze on her bare skin for a couple of moments, before she reached for the night gown and pulled it over her head.

Her eyes hadn't left Stella the entire time, and now with the whole corset debacle solved, she was forced to face the other reasons why she couldn't- or more like wouldn't- fall asleep. She was absolutely terrified!

She was terrified to sleep, only to wake up and find her baby gone once more. Even if she knew in her heart that this was reality, she had no guarantee that nothing bad will happen in the dead of the night and she will lose her child once more. After all, that's how she lost her the first time around.

Her hands were now in her hair, pulling at the pins and releasing the strands from their elaborate do. She had barely pulled the last pin out of her hair, when she caught the faint shivering of Stella's body. She placed the pin on the nightstand with the others, and was about to climb into bed once more, when Stella almost whipped around onto her back, her face covered in sweat, as she shook her head from side to side. Regina immediately scrambled onto the bed next to her, pulled her into her arms and tried to lull her back to sleep, but the slight trembling was now becoming violent shaking, and she realized with a heavy heart, that she had to wake her up. She knew that chances are, if she woke her up, she might not fall back asleep again.

She tried tightening her arm around her as a last resort, as she continued to murmur kisses and soothing words into her hair, but to no avail. And so with a deep defeated sigh, she shook her gently, "Stella" she called softly, "baby wake up, it's only a bad dream. Just open your eyes, you're safe" she instructed calmly, though her heart was breaking at the tears that were now falling past the screwed shut eyes. It took her a few moments of shaking and calling, before the terrified eyes flew open in a panic.

They were wild, filled with fear, and Regina was glad that they left a night lamp lit next to her for it helped Stella's eyes focus on her mother's face. Regina already had both arms wrapped around her, as she held her pain-filled eyes steady, one hand stroking her cheek gently, and whiping away at the tears.

"Mamma?" Stella whimpered hopefully.

"It's alright baby, I'm right here. It was just a dream" Regina soothed.

She gladly welcomed the small child, when she wiggled even closer to her, and buried her face into her chest. She felt how her arms tried to wrap around her, and so she tightened her own, and moved onto her back, taking Stella with her, so that now she was sitting in her lap. Stella wasted no time in balling up against her body, one arm going around her waist, her fist clenching around the back of the gown, while the other found the neckline and grabbed onto it, as her head rested over her mother's chest. The rhythmic beating of Regina's heart helped calm her down, and soon enough, her breathing almost synchronized with it. Regina wordlessly pulled the covers over both of them, before resuming her soothing stroking of her hair.

She didn't know why, or what made her do it, but she started humming. It was a tune she had heard one of the maids hum to her dozing off infant, and ironically it had soothed her as well, and right now it was the only thing that came to mind.

That was how she had spent her entire night; either soothing her sleeping whimpers, or her waking fears. It was almost sun up by the time Stella finally fell into a semi-peaceful sleep, and Regina fell into an exhausted one. And even though it was almost noon by the time she woke up, she was still drained. Leopold had just left to tend to matters of the Kingdom, and to inform the rest of the castle staff of their intention to keep Stella's return a secret, leaving her alone with a still sleeping Stella.

They were both on their sides, with Stella's back pressed against Regina's stomach and chest. Her hair was disheveled and covering part of her face, which added to the allure of the sight. She reached for the strands on her face, and gently brushed them back, before she bent down and pressed yet another lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Mamma?" Stella wondered fearfully.

"Yes, baby" Regina answered lovingly.

Stella rolled onto her back before she finally pried her eyes open, and met her mother's.

"Good morning" Regina greeted affectionately, though her eyes saddened a little at the look of fear and pain in Stella's eyes.

"I was scared that it would only be a dream" she confessed, and Regina's heart broke.

"It's not a dream baby, I'm right here and I am not going anywhere and neither are you" she promised, smiling a little at the hint of trust, relief and hope that crept into her daughter's eyes.


	3. Chapter 3-All I Need

Johanna had just finished tying her apron around her waist, and smoothing it out, when the knock on the large wooden doors sounded. She continued to get rid of the creases, and tidy up her appearance to the picture perfect one she usually has, as she made her way to the door, and pulled it open.

"Good morning, Johanna," he greeted.

"Good morning, Claude," she replied, with a warm smile on her lips.

"His Majesty would like you to go awake the Queen, we have news that King Xavier and his family have entered the Kingdom, and will soon be arriving at the palace" he informed her stoically.

"What about the Princess?" she asked.

"She is already awake and almost ready" he replied, and she only nodded in response.

She made her way down the large corridors, greeting the servants and guards as she passed them, before she finally reached her destination. She stood there for a couple of seconds, eyeing the knob. She didn't want to wake her up, she was exhausted, and she knew that she would be torn, and she hated seeing the loving Queen like that. Can't the King meet them on his own?

She finally sighed in defeat after a few seconds, turned the door knob as slow as possible, and pushed the door open, as she silently prayed that the large wooden block wouldn't make any noises to startle the Queen and the little Princess. When it was open wide enough to allow her to slip through, she did just that, and closed it back again, before making her way over to the bed.

Her heart melted at the sight of the sleeping duo, for right now, they did not look like a Queen and a princess, but a mother and child.

Stella was fast asleep on her back, her head nestled in the crook of Regina's arm, her temple resting against her chest, and her small hands holding onto the sleeves of her mother's gown. Said mother had her head resting on top of her sick daughter's, one arm trapped beneath the little girl's head, the other wrapped protectively around the small frame.

Johanna couldn't help but reflect on a slightly distant past, when she had walked in and seen a similar sight…..a very long time ago.

* * *

The sun was yet to shine, and the sky was as dark as it can be. The scattered stars shone very little light over the peaceful kingdom, and the empty roads. No music from the taverns, no laughter coming from the running children, and no noises coming from the hustling and bustling of the market place. All of the residents were fast asleep in their beds with their loved ones.

Johanna woke up to a cry of protest, surely coming from the room adjacent to hers, the nursery. She was expecting the cry to get louder, but to her surprise it was followed by gentle, soothing sounds. Humming, to be exact, mixed in with soft whispers.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, it was far too early for the Queen to be up, and the cry wasn't loud enough to reach across the hall. And now that she thought about it, she didn't hear the child cry at all that night. Usually she wakes up a few times a night to change the child, and unless she needs to be fed, she usually lulls her to sleep before her cries reach the Queen. But today, she didn't hear her cry once, not even for food.

She swiftly got out of bed, and pulled her robe around her, as she made her way over to the nursery, as quietly as possible. The faint silver rays of the stars filtered through the curtains, and the dim lights from the candle sticks lit the room enough for her to find her way around without bumping into anything.

It was also enough for her to see the young mother lying on the sofa, with her child nestled safely in her arms. Yes, all she saw was a mother with her child, for Regina did not look like a queen at the moment, but only a mother.

She saw the serene look on the young brunette's face, the love and adoration in her eyes as she looked at her sleeping infant, the way she softly caressed the back of the small, chubby hand that was closed around her index, and the occasional soft kisses she pressed to the tiny forehead.

Johanna softly cleared her throat, loud enough for Regina to hear, but not enough to wake up Stella, and Regina's eyes immediately found her.

"Johanna," she said softly, "did her cry wake you?" she asked, as the older maid approached them.

"No, but I think I found the quiet to be unusual, and woke up regardless" she lied, as she watched how Regina cradled Stella closer to her chest, and sat up with her. The little girl fussed a bit, and turned more into her mother's warmth, before she settled down once more.

"I was wondering when you or the King will come take her and make me go to bed" Regina remarked, the hint of sadness not lost on Johanna.

"You need your sleep, your Majesty," Johanna pointed out, "especially tonight; tomorrow is going to be a long and exhausting day" she continued, "and besides, she is fast asleep," she added.

"I know, it's just…." She trailed off, "during the day, I'm somebody's wife, somebody's stepmother, somebody's daughter. I never get a chance to be alone with her, I am always needed somewhere, and that's alright. But at night, I am _just _her mother and nothing else. I am all hers, and she is all mine. No interruptions, no responsibilities, nothing. Just me and her," she ranted, every word laced with love, and the need to be close to her daughter, "at night, I get to be her mother, not just the source of food. At night, I get to look at her as much as I want, to lose myself in her."

* * *

If Johanna had known that this was going to be the last night the Queen was going to cradle her child, she never would've taken her out of her arms and made her go to sleep. If she had known what was to become of the child, she would've slept on the sofa with the infant in her arms herself. If only she had known.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she looked at the familiar sight, and she also couldn't help the doubt. What if she woke up the Queen, and tore her away from her child once more, only for said child to disappear again? What if the illness got worse and-God forbid- the child didn't make it? How will the Queen feel then?

She shook her head to rid herself of the dark thoughts, and softly made her way over to the bed. She leaned over, and lightly tapped Regina's hand, "Your Majesty," she called gently.

Regina's eyes flew open at the contact, and she looked up to see Johanna smiling softly at her, "Johanna" she said groggily. The sudden movement caused Stella to stir, but she quickly settled when Regina tightened her arms around her, and she turned more into her mother's embrace.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Johanna greeted, "His Majesty wanted me to let you know that King Xavier and his family will be here shortly," she informed her, and Regina nodded, as a frustrated sigh left her lip.

"I wish the other kingdoms knew about my magic, we would've been able to inform Xavier of Stella's illness, and I wouldn't have to leave her," she groaned, the pain at the prospect of leaving her sick child evident, making Johanna's heart twist.

"When did she sleep?" she asked.

She had moved out of the adjoining room when Stella went missing, for it was for too dreary and painful for her to stay. And when Stella returned, she had slept in Regina's room, and now she no longer needs her services in the middle of the night, and so she saw no point in moving back to the room.

"I think it was almost sunrise," Regina replied, "exactly, how important is my presence? Can't he tell them that I am sick and unable to be present?" she wondered, her arms reflexively tightening around her sleeping child.

Johanna smiled apologetically at her, her eyes saddening when she saw the understanding in the Queen's. She could almost see the heartbreak in the Queen's eyes, as she looked down at the sleeping form, before she bent down to kiss her feverish forehead, and caressed her red, round cheeks.

"May I say something, Your Highness?" Johanna wondered, and Regina nodded.

"For the next few seconds, you are not the queen, and I am not your maid. I am nothing more than just a woman who has been on this earth a bit longer than you have, and you are a young mother who is worried about her sick child. Is that alright with you?"

Once again, Regina nodded.

"As far as mothers go, you are-by far-one of the most caring and loving mothers I have ever seen, and I don't just mean among the royals. For if we were to talk about those, then they do not even dare speak of motherhood in your presence. You have been involved in your child's life from the second she was born. You took care of her, nurtured her, watched over her, loved her; and most importantly, you were there for her. You were there whenever she needed you, and you never complained. You have always put her first, and I know that it will never change," she started, "which is why I need you to understand, that if you go now and stand by the King, you are not abandoning her" she added, holding Regina's eyes steady, until the latter averted her gaze at the last sentence, "you stayed with her all night, and was the one nursing her through the illness. And being the queen, does not make you any less her mother. She is your baby, and that will never change" she finished.

"I know, but….last night, when she started to throw up, she kept apologizing!" she exclaimed, her frustration now apparent, "I thought we were past the point where she will think that we will hurt her, or send her back if she made a mistake, but clearly we're not. I don't want her to think that I left her, I can't bear to see the accusation in her eyes again" she confessed, her voice choked, as the tears pooled into her eyes.

"All kids apologize when they throw up," Johanna told her, "Princess Snow used to do the same thing when she got sick at that age, it is instinct. She knows you won't hurt her, and she knows you won't send her back. She is sure of it, they just get scared," she soothed.

She saw the hope creep into the young queen's eyes, and she smiled reassuringly at her, "she loves you very much, and trusts you blindly. That much was obvious from the moment she got back; safety to her means your arms, and she knew you wont hurt her from the second she got into your arms, and nothing ever changed that,"

She saw some of the worry fade away, and the apologetic look in her eyes, as she looked at the sleeping child.

"I will stay with her until she wakes up, and will come find you as soon as she does" she promised.

"Thank you," Regina said, smiling gratefully at her.


	4. Chapter 4-My Little Princess

Ariel sat in the chair, the ridiculously uncomfortable chair, though she did not notice. She did not budge from her seat when Henry barreled into the room; she did not answer any one when they called her name, or asked her a question; she did not even spare them a glance.

She just sat in her chair, still as a statue, her haunted brown eyes staring blankly at her mother's sleeping face. Regina looked so small, so pale, so weak, and in pain. Her face clearly showed the pain that she felt, though no one knew its source.

'I cannot find any medical reason as to why she is not waking up'.

That sentence kept bouncing around in her head, she had tuned out the rest of Whale's sentence, and simply walked to the room. She used whatever was left of her energy to check her mother over again, trying desperately to locate the source of her pain, and the reason why she wasn't waking up.

She barely recalls her hollow voice as she answered Henry's hysterical question, 'I can't find anything to heal'.

And that was the last thing she said, she had completely tuned out their voices, especially Henry's desperate cries for his mother. She fell down into the seat by the bed, and numbly looked at her mother's sleeping form.

She looked haunted, she looked almost like a once beautiful house, whose occupants have left and never looked back; she looked like an empty shell of the person she used to be. Her haunted, desolate eyes moved away from her mother's form, when a face swam into view, David's. She saw his lips moving, though she did not hear a word he said, before she moved her eyes back to her mother, not caring in the least what he had said to her.

Many people came and went, but she paid them no attention, she did not even spare them a glance. And if someone was to ask her who had come, she wouldn't know how to answer.

She leaned forward, almost robotically, her eyes not leaving Regina's pale face, as she took a hold of her limp hand, and buried it between her own. Her brows creased slightly at the evident pain itched on her mother's features, and she hoped with everything she had that she can know its source, so she can take it away.

"Mom?" she called hopefully, her voice hoarse from the lack of use, and the tears that she shed mere hours ago.

She waited patiently, closely looking for any sign that Regina will wake up, and found none. Not a twitch in her eye, not a slight movement of the finger, not even a wrinkle on the forehead. Nothing, absolutely nothing.

"Mommy, please wake up," she begged her, one hand softly caressing her cheek, before it limply lay over her chest, where her heart beat steadily.

When once again she received no response, she allowed her head to collapse on top of their entwined hands. She rested her mouth over the back of Regina's hand, and closed her eyes in pain and plea alike.

"Pleaaase," she whispered brokenly, before she planted a soft kiss to the slightly cold skin.

She felt someone place a hand on her shoulder, and she once again chose to ignore its owner, until she heard his voice.

"Ariel."

His voice was only a tad over a whisper, and even though all he said was one word, every letter of it was laced with love and worry.

She slowly turned her face towards him, allowing her cheek to rest where her lips were a second prior, as her haunted, broken brown eyes, found his worry-filled ocean blue ones.

They held each other's gazes steady for a few moments, neither saying a word, her hand still clutching onto her mother's, as Killian ran his through her hair, pushing the stray strands behind her ear.

He saw the lack of tears in her eyes, and it didn't surprise him. He knew her well, and he knew that she holds her composure when she gets in the cross hairs. He knew that she didn't shed any, not because she didn't want to, but rather because she couldn't. He saw the pain in her eyes, the silent plea to whatever high power that controlled the situation to end this nightmare, he saw that haunted look that was not present when she left to get her mother.

"Killian," she whispered softly, almost in disbelief about his presence.

"Hey love," he said softly, his thumb now caressing her paling cheeks.

"She's not waking up," she whimpered brokenly, her voice a lot like that of a child's whose favorite toy got lost or broken. For to a child, that was the greatest loss of all. But to Ariel, her greatest loss and nightmare, was materializing before her very eyes.

"I know baby," was all he could say, for no words he could possibly say will bring her any comfort.

"Why won't she wake up?" she asked numbly, her voice showing the amount of emotions clogging up her throat, but also the inability to shed any tears.

"She went through a lot, at the hands of her mother no less, just give her some time," he soothed, as he took her hand away from Regina's, and turned her towards him. He needed to have her full attention, without any distraction from Regina whatsoever, even if it is just in the form of a simple touch.

His heart broke at the lost, haunted look in her eyes. She looked like a lost child, who had no idea where she belonged. He briefly contemplated the thought of telling her to go to Atlantica, but realized that it would be a very cold day in hell if Ariel left her mother's side at a time like this.

"Come with me," he instructed gently, pulling at her hands to get her to stand up with him, but she refused to move an inch.

"Where are we going?" she wondered.

"My place," he answered softly.

He had rented Graham's old apartment when things started to settle down a bit, figured he needed a more permanent place than Granny's inn.

She shook her head, slowly and almost reluctantly at first, but then it became more determined and vigorous.

"Sweetheart, nothing bad will befall your mother. She is safe here, she just needs some rest," he appealed, but she still shook her head, the pain in her eyes increasing a thousand folds at the prospect of leaving her mother's side.

"I can't leave her alone," she defended.

"She is not alone," Killian objected softly, "she's got an entire army."

"I will stay here and call you if anything changes."

That was David's voice, and she slowly turned her head to look at him. Killian was grateful for the break from the haunted look in her eyes, however brief it may be. She hadn't even realized that David came in, or maybe he never even left, she did not know.

She watched him take slow, almost hesitant steps towards her; like she was a wounded predator that he was worried about setting off. And in more than one way, she was exactly that.

Once he reached her, he slowly crouched down next to Killian, so he can hold her pained eyes steady, "I will not leave her side, until you get back. And if anything changes, I will come get you myself," he promised, smiling reassuringly when she started to nod her head.

* * *

Killian pushed the door open, and maneuvered a zombie-like Ariel into the apartment, stopping her just inside, so he can close the door behind them.

"Why don't you take a shower? It'll help," he suggested, as he walked them both to his bedroom, where the ensuite bathroom was.

"I don't have anything to wear," she reminded, her voice hollow of any emotions, almost as if she was hypnotized.

"You left a few things here before, and I will call Emma and tell her to get the rest," he offered, and she nodded solemnly, but did not move from her place.

He silently led her to the bathroom, and turned the shower on, letting the water run, till he rids her of her clothes. He turned back towards her, and found her standing, completely surrendering to whatever he will do to her, completely trusting him with herself.

When he reached for the hem of the blouse she was wearing, he felt something sticky on his fingertips, and the texture felt weird to him. He looked down, and finally noticed the blood stain on her side.

"Oh my God, Ariel, you're hurt," he exclaimed, immediately lifting up her shirt to inspect the skin underneath.

His forehead wrinkled in confusion when he found no signs of an injury on her skin, it was smooth and toned, just as it always was.

"Daddy healed me," her hollow voice came once more, and he nodded in understanding, as he pulled the shirt over her head.

Her boots, socks, jeans and underwear soon followed the blouse on the floor of the bathroom. And once he checked the temperature of the water, and made sure that it was nice and warm, he slowly guided her into the tub.

As soon as the water hit her face, she allowed her eyelids to slide over her eyes, and for the water to run down her face. He watched how she slowly sat on the floor of the tub, and pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. He hated leaving her, but it was winter, and the last thing he wanted, was for her to catch a cold.

So, he left the glass door open, and went back into the room. He quickly fished out his phone, and dug through the numbers to find Emma's, before he finally hit the call button.

Ariel sat under the hot water, enjoying how it felt against her body, and wishing that it could take away her pain as easily as it's taking away the dirt. She felt the urge to cry, but found herself to be unable to shed any tears.

She slowly pried her eyes open, a faint shred of hope in her heart, that she will find herself in her mother's bathroom, and she will hear Regina's soft voice humming as she got ready for work. But all she saw, was the creamy interior of Killian's bath tub, and his hand as he reached for hers.

She trailed her eyes up his arm, till they finally found his.

"Emma will go to the house to pick some of your stuff, is there anything in particular you want?" he asked.

She nodded, "I want my mom," she whispered, and he sighed.

"I know baby," he sympathized, "you'll get her soon, I promise," he soothed.

"What if she never wakes up? What if we never find out what is wrong with her?"

"Of course she will wake up," he assured, "she has so many people waiting for her, and she will never leave them."

"What if Cora convinced her that we don't care about her enough to save her?" she retorted.

"Regina will never believe something like that, she knows how much she is loved, especially by you," he soothed.

"What if Cora cursed her in some way? Wha…" the rest of her sentence was cut off by Killian's hand cupping her cheek.

"You, Triton and Athena checked her, and found nothing. Hell, even Rumpelstiltskin checked. I have never heard of a curse which can elude all four of you, especially you," he shot back.

"She was screaming," she choked out, as the tears finally came, "I heard the bones snapping, and I heard her screams, I….."She couldn't get the rest of the sentence out, as her entire body started shaking, and her breaths were coming out short and ragged.

Killian simply moved to his knees, and pulled her into his arms. He didn't care that his clothes were getting soaked by the water, he only cared about her, he only cared about offering her any form of comfort, in the hopes that it will help her through.

* * *

Emma walked up the steps to Killian's apartment, small bag in her hand, and a silent prayer that Ariel will seem a bit better, so they can sit down and think of a reason as to why Regina was not waking up. She stood at the door, staring at it for a moment, before she finally took a calming breath, mustered up the nerves, and knocked on the door.

It wasn't long before she heard the approaching footsteps, and was greeted by Killian's tired smile, "thanks for bringing them, Swan," he said.

"No problem," she replied, "How is she?"

"As expected," was the only answer he could give.

She smiled encouragingly at him, and he gave her a tired, grateful one in return, before he turned around and headed for the bedroom.

A few moments later, a slightly less robotic Ariel emerged from the bedroom, all dressed and ready to go.

"Ready to do?" she asked, as she made her way over to the door, without even waiting for an answer from Emma or Killian, who traded knowing looks, before they followed her.

* * *

**This one is set right after the rescue, and before Regina wakes up. **

**To those following my other stories, I promise you I didn't forget, but life is getting in the way. **


End file.
